autofluorescence

Description:

Euglena oxyuris (you-glean-a ox-ee-your-is), is a moderate to large euglena, with a stiff pellicle that has well developed ridges. Flagella can be short. Although it can squirm it is not very actively metabolic. With large numbers of small plastids. This cell was illuminated using high energy ultraviolet light and the red autofluorescence then photographed. The fluorescence comes from the chlorophylls in the chloroplast and so we can use this to get a sense of the number and size of the plastids. Fluorescence.